"I first encountered transgender people at Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 1978. When I took my first photograph of a group of transgender people, I met Vicky West and was mesmerized. I felt that I wasn't looking into the eyes of a man or a woman but at the essence of a human being. This encounter led to my growth through new understanding and experiences that I could never have imagined. As a photographer, writer, speaker, activist, and ally, I found that I could participate in meaningful ways in the evolution of the movement to bring understanding and justice to nonconforming people. Whenever possible, I choose to portray gender-expansive people in the light of everyday life, alone or in relationship with partners, children, and friends. By their very nature, they expand our ideas of what is possible in living our lives without the restrictions of strict gender roles. Early on, gender variation was considered freakish, immoral, or a homosexual choice, so I decided to present portraits of people who are more comfortable with who they are. Some live in the gender that feels right to them, others identify as non-binary, gender fluid, or queer, or perform as drag artists. On the whole, until recently, they have become more at ease with their gender identity and expression, and with whatever anatomical modifications they may have chosen. They became more relatable to cisgender people. This photograph, taken in 2002, features Monique, an 18-year-old singer who lived in Queens, New York, with her mother. Monique was only allowed to dress in women’s clothing in her bedroom, forbidden from appearing in the rest of the apartment or leaving the building in her feminine attire. I chose to photograph Monique in her room—the only place where she could truly be herself." Artist statement from Mariette Pathy Allen.

Mariette Pathy Allen Bio:
Mariette Pathy Allen is a photographer of transgender, gender fluid, and gender variant communities, as well as other ongoing series, including Birth and Families, The Face of New Jersey, People With Art, Flowers and Fantasy, Texas, and Scapes. In 1978, on the last day of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Allen met Vicky West, a trans woman she befriended and through whom she was first invited to Fantasia Fair, a transgender conference where she would serve as official photographer. She traveled across the US to many other transgender conferences, participated in political activism, and worked for the Transgender Tapestry magazine. She continues to pursue the work of photographing, interviewing, and advocating on behalf of gender-nonconforming people.

Allen is the author of five books that have brought visibility to transgender communities across the world, including Transformations: Crossdressers and Those Who Love Them (1989), The Gender Frontier (2004), TransCuba (2014), Transcendents: Spirit Mediums in Burma and Thailand (2017), and I Was The Girl: Art by Vicky West (2024). She has created dozens of slide presentations for various groups, participated in radio and television programs, and served as a consultant and still photographer for films. Allen’s work is included in numerous public and private collections and has been exhibited internationally. Her work is being archived by Duke University's Rare Book and Manuscripts Library, and the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's Studies. Allen is based in New York City and is represented by CLAMP, New York. You can find her online at www.mariettepathyallen.com and on Instagram at @Mariette_Pathy_Allen.